Fresh Produce That Lasts A Long Time

After sharing some freezer, fridge and pantry staples last week, I thought it might be helpful to also chat about produce that stays fresh and lasts a long time! I saw this instagram right before we did our first big grocery trip of quarantine, and I found it SO helpful. Instead of panic buying canned soup and frozen pizzas, we also stocked up on fresh produce to use in fresh homemade recipes. Wooo!

I think it’s really easy to think that fruits and vegetables will go bad before you can eat them – and that’s true to an extent! Please don’t buy a million packs of strawberries expecting them to last you all month long. Not gonna happen! But a bag of potatoes or a bunch of apples are a different story. It’s just a matter of knowing what to look for and planning ahead!

Longest Lasting Vegetables

Carrots: 3-4 weeks in the fridge

As long as you don’t peel your carrots, they can last for up to a month in the fridge! I love having them on hand for soups like pasta fagioli or chicken noodle soup – plus they’re great with hummus as a snack!

Cabbage: 4-5 weeks in the fridge

A whole cabbage (uncut!) can last in the fridge for over a month. Once you’ve cut it, it will last another week, too.

Winter Squash: 5-6 weeks

Anything with a thick skin like butternut squash or spaghetti squash can last a really long time in a cool dark place. I personally love spaghetti squash with a ground turkey tomato sauce!

Potatoes: over 1 month

Potatoes can last over a month in a cool dark place. That includes white, sweet, red, etc. We got a bag of red potatoes the first week of quarantine and we roasted them with chicken drumsticks and used them in a few breakfast hashes.

Parsnips: 2-3 weeks in the fridge

I think parsnips are the most underrated vegetable – they are SO delicious! I love roasting them with other veggies to put on my salads for lunches.

Cauliflower: 2 weeks in the fridge

Guys, I had NO IDEA that cauliflower could last so long and my mind is blown. Last time I bought cauliflower, I roasted some of it as a side dish and then put the rest in a chickpea and cauliflower curry! (I used a jar sauce so I don’t have a recipe – I’m sorry!)

Garlic: multiple months!

I always knew garlic lasted a long time, but apparently it can last multiple months in a cool dark place. Garlic never lasts that long in my kitchen though ?

Onions: 1 month

Instead of just buying one onion for one recipe, we’ve been buying a bag of onions to last us through multiple weeks. It’s really nice to just have them on hand!

Bell Peppers: up to 2 weeks in the fridge

Bell peppers are such a versatile ingredient. We use them for stir fry, taco night, and so much more!

Arugula: up to 10 days

If you want to have fresh greens on hand for salads, we’ve found that arugula stays fresh the longest. It’s our favorite anyway, so that works out well for us!

Longest Lasting Fruits

Apples: up to 1 month in the fridge

As long as you put apples in the fridge, they can last for up to a month! I like them for snacking or adding to baked oatmeal.

Lemons: 3-4 weeks in the fridge

Lemons make most recipes better, so having a few on hand is always a good idea. I also love adding lemon to my water to make it a little bit more exciting.

Limes: 3-4 weeks in the fridge

Limes are another great way to add flavor to different recipes. Or just use them for margaritas! That’s allowed, too 😉

Oranges: 3-4 weeks in the fridge

I’m so sad that sumo oranges aren’t really in season anymore, but navel oranges are still a great snack!

How to make them last even longer:

Pickle

We have started pickling red onions to add a little acidic crunch to different recipes, but you could also pickle cucumbers, asparagus, peppers, cauliflower, carrots… there are a lot of possibilities. This article is a helpful guide!

Freeze

If your veggies are going to go bad before you can eat them, just chop them up and freeze them! This also works for herbs, too. If you bought parsley or cilantro for a recipe and didn’t use the whole bunch, blend it up with some olive oil and pour that into an ice cube tray. Then you have fresh herbs to melt into sauces or soups anytime you want it! I also like to make pesto (or Whole30 pesto!) with any extra basil and put that in the freezer.

Did I miss any of your favorites?

Let me know!

PS. You might also like Weekly Meal Plan #3 and My Freezer, Fridge, and Pantry Staples!